SYNKTECT - HEALTHY BUILDING CONSULTANT IN KENTUCKY AND TENNESSEE
News & Resources
Explore articles, publications, and interviews showcasing SYNKTECT insights.
key American organizations that regulate, research, or promote indoor environmental quality (IEQ):
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Role: Regulates and provides guidance on indoor air pollutants (like radon, mold, VOCs, and secondhand smoke).
Programs: Indoor Environments Division, Radon Program.
Website: epa.gov/indoor-air-quality-iaq
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Role: Investigates and provides public health recommendations for indoor environmental hazards such as mold, carbon monoxide, and lead.
Divisions: National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH).
Website: cdc.gov/nceh
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
Role: Regulates workplace environmental conditions, including ventilation, exposure limits to indoor pollutants, and temperature.
Applies to: Commercial and industrial buildings.
Website: osha.gov
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
Role: Researches workplace hazards, including indoor air contaminants, ventilation, and building-related illness.
Operates under: CDC.
Website: cdc.gov/niosh
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
Role: Develops housing standards to reduce indoor hazards like mold, lead, and radon in federally assisted housing.
Programs: Healthy Homes Program.
ASHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers)
Role: Develops technical standards and best practices for ventilation, thermal comfort, and air filtration.
Key Standard: ASHRAE Standard 62.1 – Ventilation for Acceptable Indoor Air Quality.
Website: ashrae.org
American Lung Association (ALA)
Role: Provides education and advocacy for clean indoor air to reduce respiratory disease.
Focus: Tobacco smoke, radon, mold, indoor allergens.
Website: lung.org
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health – Healthy Buildings Program
Role: Academic research leader in indoor environmental health.
Projects: The “9 Foundations of a Healthy Building.”
Website: forhealth.org
National Center for Healthy Housing (NCHH)
Role: Advocates for health-focused housing standards, particularly for underserved communities.
Website: nchh.org
Green Building Certification Bodies (Relevant to IEQ)
LEED (U.S. Green Building Council) – Includes IEQ credits.
WELL Building Standard (IWBI) – Focuses heavily on indoor health and well-being.
Website:
Understanding CO₂: Why Monitoring CO₂ in Your Home Matters
Carbon dioxide (CO₂) is a natural component of the air we breathe, but elevated indoor CO₂ levels can affect your health, comfort, and cognitive function. CO₂ is produced primarily through human respiration and combustion activities (like cooking or using gas appliances), and it tends to accumulate in poorly ventilated spaces.
According to research from institutions like Harvard University and the World Health Organization (WHO), high indoor CO₂ levels (typically above 1,000 parts per million or ppm) can lead to symptoms such as headaches, fatigue, drowsiness, and difficulty concentrating. In schools and workplaces, studies have linked elevated CO₂ to reduced decision-making performance and productivity.
Monitoring CO₂ in your home is an effective way to assess indoor air quality and determine whether ventilation is adequate. Affordable CO₂ sensors can alert you when levels are too high, prompting actions like opening windows, using exhaust fans, or upgrading HVAC systems with fresh air intake.
Maintaining good indoor air quality isn’t just about comfort—it’s about supporting your health, alertness, and long-term well-being.
Understanding Radon Gas: Why Testing and Mitigation Matter
Radon is a colorless, odorless radioactive gas that naturally forms from the decay of uranium in soil, rock, and water. It can seep into homes through cracks in foundations, floors, and walls. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer after smoking, responsible for an estimated 21,000 deaths per year in the United States.
What makes radon particularly dangerous is that it cannot be detected without specialized equipment. High levels of radon have been found in homes across every U.S. state, and even neighboring homes can have vastly different radon levels.
Testing is the only way to know your home's radon level. Simple, affordable test kits are widely available, and professional testing can offer more detailed results. If high levels are detected (4.0 picocuries per liter or higher), mitigation systems can be installed to vent radon outside and prevent it from accumulating indoors.
Radon awareness, regular testing, and timely mitigation are essential steps in protecting your household’s long-term health. Visit epa.gov/radon for more information and guidance on reducing your risk.
Selected Publications:
Mansour O., Aly, S. & Hall P. (2023). Revisiting the Building Design Attributes and Indoor Radon: A Survey of 36 Homes in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. The 2nd International Conference on Civil Infrastructure and Construction (CIC 2023), Doha, Qatar, DOI: https://doi.org/10.29117/cic.2023.0143
Mansour, O. E., & Alrawy, O. (2022). Contextual factors in green building rating. The International Journal of Architectonic, Spatial, and Environmental Design. https://cgscholar.com/bookstore/works/contextual-factors-in-green-building-rating
Mansour, O. (2021). Re-examining the Efficacy of Radon Mitigation Systems in Single-Family Dwellings: A Pilot Study. Zero Energy Mass Custom Home International Conference. Dubai, UAE. http://zemch.org/proceedings/2021/ZEMCH2021.pdf
Mansour, O. E. (2021). Building design, Resident's Behavior, and Indoor Radon in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Journal of Management and Engineering Integration. https://www.proquest.com/openview/63926f258d714b38f8f4606065f28a9b/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=716332
Elrawy, O., Eltaweel, A., & Mansour, O. (2019). Contrasting daylight simulation, measurements, and occupant's perception in a LEED office building in arid climate. In IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science (Vol. 397, No. 1, p. 012014). IOP Publishing. https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1755-1315/397/1/012014/meta
Mansour, O. E. (2019). Healthy and sustainable: Bridging the gap in the current sustainable building practice. The 15th Annual conference on sustainability, University of British Colombia, Vancouver, Canada. https://cgscholar.com/cg_event/events/S19/proposal/38914/proposal_details
Sabbagh, M., Mansour, O. E., & Banawi, A. (2019). Grease the green wheels: A framework for exepediting the green building movement in the arab region, Sustainability, 11,19. https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/11/20/5545
Mansour, O. E. (2019). Ethnography in the Realm of Sustainability and Building Design. The 50th Annual conference the Environmental Design Research Association EDRA, Tandon College of Engineering, Brooklyn, New York. https://edra.confex.com/edra/EDRA50/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/6716
Mansour, O. E. & Alrawy, O. (2019). The impact of enhanced commissioning process on AEC professionals: a case study of LEED new construction. Energy and Environment Research, 9(2), 19. https://www.ccsenet.org/journal/index.php/eer/article/view/0/40398
Al-Zu’bi, M. & Mansour, O. (2017). Water, Energy, and Rooftops: Integrating Green Roof Systems into Building Policies in the Arab Region. Environment and Natural Resources Research, 7(2), 11. https://www.ccsenet.org/journal/index.php/enrr/article/view/66946
Mansour, O. E., & Radford, S. K. (2016). Rethinking the environmental and experiential categories of sustainable building design, a conjoint analysis. Building and Environment, 98, 47-54. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2015.12.014
Mansour, O. E. & Radford, Scott K. (2014). Green building perception matrix, a theoritical framework. Proceedings of the 6th Annual Symposium of Architectural Research, Oulu, Finland. https://journal.fi/atut/article/view/45272
Mansour, O. E. (2014). On the aesthetics of sustainable buildings in hot arid climate, the case of two LEED buildings in Cairo, Egypt and Las Vegas, US. KSU Journal of Architecture & Planning, Special Issue on Sustainability on Hot Arid Regions 26(2), 15-26.https://cap.ksu.edu.sa/sites/cap.ksu.edu.sa/files/imce_images/jap_ksu_jul2014_e2.pdf
Mansour, O. E. (2014). Reflections on the image of green buildings: An ethnographic evaluation of a “LEED” certified elementary school. Proceedings of the 6th Annual Symposium of Architectural Research, Oulu, Finland. https://journal.fi/atut/article/view/45375
Mansour, O. E. (2014). Indoor air quality, an enviro-cultural perspective. Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Harmonization between Architecture and Nature, Siena, Italy. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/271450937_Indoor_air_quality_An_Enviro-Cultural_Perspective
Book
1. Mansour, O. E. (2016). Enhancing Green Building Performance: A Human Experiential Approach.Germany: Lambert Academic Publishing. ISBN: 3659906107
